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EDGE defence conglomerate has invested more than US$14 million into Israeli airspace automation provider High Lander.
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The United Arab Emirates state-owned military weaponry and tech giant announced the strategic investment into the unmanned traffic management industry on 24 January.
The partnership would allow more cooperation between High Lander and EDGE’s own projects in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, smart weapons, cyber technologies and systems balancing the coexistence of manned and unmanned aviation.
EDGE board chairman, His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai said there is an urgent need for air traffic management technology for unmanned air vehicles.
“As EDGE grows rapidly, and with our focus increasingly being directed to the development of world-leading autonomous aerospace solutions, the need for a superior and readily available air traffic management platform could not be more urgent,” he said.
“Today’s operating environments require the most advanced unmanned air traffic control systems, and High Lander provides the only truly universal solution for this critical requirement.
“Our investment in High Lander as a major shareholder is logical for EDGE, and mutually beneficial and opportune for both companies, allowing us to grow and perfect these solutions further together, in both the military and civilian domains.”
High Lander’s Universal Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system enables multiple, simultaneous drone operations including pre-flight authorisation, mid-mission changes, and post-flight logs.
High Lander chief executive officer and co-founder Alon Abelson said High Lander and EDGE have a mutual goal of creating the most technologically advanced airspace automation systems possible.
“We are excited about the strategic partnership with EDGE because it strengthens High Lander’s position as a market leader in drone fleet management and UTM spaces as we begin to scale globally.
“We look forward to working with EDGE for many years to come.”
EDGE chief executive officer and managing director Mansour AlMulla said the investment is a win-win partnership.
“High Lander is a growing tech company with huge potential, operating with a start-up mindset yet drawing from decades of experience in the aviation sector,” he said.
“This, coupled with the highest levels of innovation, has allowed it to create an opportunity in the autonomous air traffic sector, a sector which is in pressing need of transformation.
“High Lander will benefit from EDGE’s offerings of integrated systems and solutions, and we in turn will adapt High Lander’s world-leading UTM platform to further advance our autonomous capabilities.”
